Together Again
by MadisonMagnetic
Summary: Bill Buchanan must meet his wife, Karen, at the airport after she selfishly fired him to save her own job in the White House, and then consequently resigned. Has distance and betrayal destroyed their marriage for good? Post Season 6.


Bill Buchanan was not one who was usually seen pacing. But that morning he was. Hands in pockets, head dropped in thought, he walked slowly up and down the row of chairs. It was difficult to explain how he felt; fatigue had taken effect long ago and left him with an empty numbness. But somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he could feel the nerves. He was nervous, perhaps, of Karen's reaction upon seeing him. And his upon seeing her. He couldn't help but worry that distance, along with the loss of both of their jobs, had destroyed their marriage. His anger had passed long ago; now he was faced with the desire to repair what had been broken, to do whatever it may take to keep her. He had taken a dire hit when losing his job, losing Karen would surely cause him to unravel. She was all he had left.

The familiar sound of footsteps and luggage against metal filled the deserted airport lounge and Bill froze, snapping into reality. The plane was unloading. His nerves were acting up more than ever, nipping painfully at the inside of his stomach, causing his muscles to tighten and his palms to become clammy. He took in a breath to collect himself, then stepped towards the unloading dock.

There were only a few people on the flight. Of those, she was the last, walking slowly with her laptop case dangling from her shoulder, her rolling suitcase dragging sluggishly behind her. Bill noticed the messy, frizzy state of her usually perfect hair. He noticed her smudged makeup and blotchy skin from crying. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a warmness inside of him. Even when she was a wreck, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Her eyes caught his and there was a moment that she stared at him in a blank, expressionless daze before recognizing him and approaching him. He should have been to one to approach her, he thought angrily, but his feet felt like they weighed more than the airport itself. He was unable to move, unable to speak when she stood before him.

"I don't blame you." She said quietly, mistaking his silence for anger.

Bill opened his mouth, to say what he had practiced a million times over in his head while pacing the airport, to try to tell her that everything was okay, but nothing left his lips. His throat had become dry and he closed his mouth, giving up on his struggle for words. Silently, he pulled the suitcase from her fingers and they set off through the airport, husband and wife that had somehow become two complete strangers.

When they reached his car, he offered to put all of the luggage in the trunk, but she insisted on keeping her laptop with her, at least in the backseat. He silently nodded and unlocked the back door for her.

He took longer than necessary to load the luggage. Karen waited patiently in the passenger seat. He couldn't see her over the open trunk door, but he could tell she was listening to his movements. Finally, he was able to calm his sudden feeling of panic, and close the trunk.

The silence remained when he slid into the driver's seat. He gently pulled the car door shut and sat quietly, staring trough the windshield at the empty runway.

"I love you." He murmured after what seemed like eternity.

"What?" Karen turned to face him, unsure if he had even spoken at all. He noticed the wrinkles beneath her eyes were as deep as ever.

"I love you, Karen. I can't even… I can't even put it into words." He reached out to touch her, anything his desperate fingers could reach. "I don't want to lose you."

Karen smiled tiredly at him, resting a hand on his cheek. "Do you think you're going to?"

Bill was afraid to answer. He rested his hand on hers and closed his eyes.

"Bill Buchanan," She whispered; clear, articulate words despite her fatigue. "I'll stay with you for as long as you'll have me."

"Plan on staying forever, then." He whispered.


End file.
